Kraut-press.



No. 798,183. PATBNTED AUG. 29, 1905. c. 3. GREEN & J. 11. RIGHBY.

KRAUT PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3.1905.

Mrnesszs;

CHARLES E. GREEN,

A N D Jan/ H. Rmmzv,

firm/Ms KS,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. GREEN, OF ANDERSON, AND JOHN R. RIOHEY, OF

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

KRAUT-PRESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1905.

Application filed June 3,1905. Serial No. 263.615.

To (1, Ll/7007M it "may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES E. GREEN,

residing at Anderson, in'the county of Madison, and JOHN R. Brown,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion, State of Indiana,citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Kraut-Presses, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for holding kraut in asubmerged condition under the brine in which it should be kept in orderto keep it from spoiling by the access of air thereto.

The common practice heretofore has been to place a board upon the krautand a weight, such as a large stone, upon the board; but this has notbeen satisfactory where the frequent access to the kraut is required onaccount of the inconvenience in lifting the weight out of the receptaclecontaining the kraut, but more particularly because of the liability ofsome portions of the kraut to be left exposed to the air out of thebrine, due to an imperfect placing of the board and weight or toaccidental displacement. This accidental displacement is liable to occuras a result of the unevenness of the body of kraut remaining in thereceptacle after a portion has been removed.

The object of our invention is to provide an inexpensive device that canbe used as a means for leveling up the kraut mass and that can then beused to press the kraut below the surface of the brine with any desiredor required pressure obtained by means of a lever and to retain thatpressure by locking the lever in a given position.

The object also is to provide a device that is readily removable foraccess to the kraut and to provide a device in which those portionswhich are wet with brine will be placed when removed for access to thekraut in position to drain into the receptacle.

We'accomplish the objects of theinvention by the mechanism illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofa barrel having our invention applied thereto and shown in position forpressing in full lines and having those parts that are removed foraccess to the contents of the barrel shown in dotted lines in theirremoved positions, and Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective of that portionof the plunger and head which goes inside of the receptacle.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the two views.

1 represents a receptacle in which the kraut will be placed. It is hereshown as a barrel, which will be most generally used; but the inventionis applicable to any kind of a receptacle.

2 is a hook, or preferably an eye, here shown as formed out of a metalbar having one end bent to form a closed eye and having its other endsecured to the barrel.

3 is a lever having an eyebolt 5 secured at its end, and 4 is a chainwhich connects the eyebolt 5 with the eye 2 on the barrel.

9 is a standard or plunger-bar which has a circular head 10 secured atits lower end.

The plunger-bar 2 is preferably comprised of two parallel wooden piecesheld by end blocks 11 a distance apart equal to the thickness of thelever 3, and the lever 3will be inserted through the space between thetwo parallel pieces in the manner as shown in Fig. 1. Perforations 12will be formed through the lever 3, and perforations 13 will be formedthrough the plunger-bar 9, whereby by means of a pin 14 the lever 3 willbe pivotally secured to the plunger-bar. A number of perforations 13will be provided in the plungerbar to enable the lever 3 to be placed atdifferent heights of the plunger-bar to suit the requirements of thevarying quantity of kraut contained in the barrel. When the barrel isnearly full of kraut, the lever 3 will be nearest the circular head 10,requiring the use of the lower holes, and as the kraut is used out ofthe barrel a longer plunger-bar will be required and the upper holes ofthe plunger-bar will be successively used. A series of holes 12 will beprovided, in the lever 3 to enable the lengths of the lever-arms to bevaried for the purpose of changing the levers. Near the handle end ofthe lever 3 is the eyebolt 6, and

secured to the barrel is the hook 7. A chain 8 is attached to theeyebolt 6 and one of the links of the chain will be caught in the hook 7to hold any given adjustment of the lever 3.

As the kraut in the barrel is apt to be unevenly distributed the strainon the circular head 10 will not be uniform for all of its parts, butwill be greatest on that side of it which comes in contact with thesolidest mass of the kraut. It is therefore necessary. to setheirmortised construction for attachment to the plunger-bar 9 adds to thestrength and rigidity of the connection between the plunger-bar andhead.

The operation of our device is as follows: With the bar 3, attached tothe barrel by means of the chain 4, and the plunger 9, attached to thelever 3 in the manner shown, the circular head is introduced into thebarrel and lowered into contact with the kraut by the proper movement ofthe lever 3 The flexible connection afforded by the chain A permits of auniversal swinging adjustment of the plunger-bar, so that by a propermovement of the lever 3 the circular head 10 can be manipulated todistribute and press down evenly the quantity of kraut contained in thebarrel. This will be first done. Then after themass of kraut has beenevened up in this manner it will be completely submerged under the brineby a downward movement of the handle end of the lever 3, which lowersthe circular head 10 and presses the kraut down. Any desired and givenpressure will be retained by locking the lever 3 in any given positionby catching a corresponding link of the chain 8 under the book 7. Whenit is desired to gain access to the kraut for the purpose of the removalof a desired quantity of the latter, the chain 8 is unhooked and thelever 3 is drawn back into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,which places the plunger and circular head in the position shown bydotted. lines in said figure, which shows the circular head hanging overthe top of the barrel, so as to drain into the barrel, and free accessto the contents of the barrel is afforded.

Having thus fully described our said invention, what we claim as new,and wish to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

In akraut-press, a receptacle having an eye- 5 let on one side and ahook on the opposite side for securing chains thereto, a plunger-bar intwo separated parallel parts, a circular head, feet comprising twowooden pieces extending laterally on both sidesof the plunger-bar, saidfeet being mortised on their inner sides to receive the lower end of theplunger-bar, and being attached to the circular head and to theplunger-bar, a lever inserted between the two parts of the plunger-bar,said lever having a series of perforations, and said plunger-bar Ihaving a series of perforations, a pin passing through registeringperforations of the plunger-bar and lever, a chain connecting one end ofthe lever with the eyelet on the outside of the receptacle, and a secondchain secured to the lever on the opposite side thereof from the pinconnecting the lever and plunger-bar, said second chain adapted to besecured to the hook on the other side of the receptacle from the eyelet.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, atAnderson, Indiana, and Indianapolis, Indiana, this 30th day of May,

CHARLES E. GREEN. [L. s.] JOHN R. RIOHEY. [L. s.]

Witnesses to signature of Charles E. Green:

CLYDE SIPE, ANNIE M. BRASKET.

Witnesses to signature of John R. Richey:

J OSEPH A. MINTURN, F. W. WOERNER.

